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Rare Finch
Conservation Group (RFCG) adopts exciting new conservation project.
Read the full story on the RFCG LATEST NEWS page.

Orange-breasted Waxbill. Photo Duncan McKenzie - South Africa

SAVE AFRICA'S SMALLEST FINCH
small is BIG

Not yet listed as threatened unexpected declines in the Orange-breasted
Waxbill (Amandava subflava) has resulted in the urgent need
for the species to be researched. The species has now been selected
as the key sentinel bird for 8 threatened South African wetland
bird species and 84 common bird species. The 8 Red listed species,
ranging from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered, plus all
84 common species that use a similar habitat to the Orange-breasted
Waxbill , will all benefit from the BirdLife South Africa and Rare
Finch Conservation Group research collaboration.

The Rare Finch Conservation Group (RFCG) was founded in August 2005
by a group of South African and Australian finch enthusiasts who
each wish to play a meaningful role in ensuring the ongoing survival
in the wild of the world's threatened finch species. The founding
RFCG members are all experienced in the field of finch husbandry
and wish to utilise these skills to the benefit of wild finches.

Which birds are popularly known and grouped as finches?

Birds from the families Cardinalidae (cardinals), Fringillidae
(finches), Estrildidae (waxbills), Emberizidae (buntings),
Passeridae (sparrows), Ploceidae (weavers and widowbirds)
and Viduadae (whydahs and indigo finches) are popularly referred
to as finches. These birds are coming under increasing pressure
in the wild, mainly due to the ongoing loss of suitable habitat
and to a lesser extent the trapping of wild birds for the caged
bird and scientific research markets. Sadly these minute birds are
not high-profile and marketable enough to attract sufficient conservation
funding and so many finch populations are simply sliding downhill
while conservation entities focus their limited resources on issues
like climate change, tigers and gorillas. Many of the world's finches
are now under some form of immediate or medium-term threat of extinction
while others are heading that way, and yet there is no cohesive
plan of action to reverse that trend.

Ongoing habitat loss is something that is in the hands of governments,
corporates and private landowners and hopefully humankind will reverse
that process during the next decade. In the meantime though the
RFCG is working away at aspects of finch conservation that can be
addressed at a more practical level.

Visitors to this site are encouraged to look at the rarefinch listing
page and find out more about the 77
finch species that have been classified as threatened by Birdlife
International.

Please donate now to help save the world's finches in the wild!The RFCG is entirely dependent on donations and sponsors and would
welcome any contribution you may wish to make. Banking details: Rare Finch
Conservation Group. Nedbank account number 1933 198885 SWIFT NEDSZAJJ.
Sandown Branch 193 305 South Africa.

The group is registered as a section 21 company reg.no. 2007/ 010385/
08 which is a non profit organisation and its PBO number for fundraising
can be given on application.